Saturday, January 31, 2009

The other night, our mailman showed up at 6:30 pm. He was carrying a lit flashlight with one hand so he could find his way, while holding the mail in the other hand. My man in uniform is one clever guy!

That same night, I heard on the news that the United States Postal Service may cut mail delivery from six to fives days a week. That’s fine with me. I don’t get much mail anymore as I’ve gotten myself off the junk mail lists and have gone paper-less for much of my financial stuff.

Many weeks, we have a day when the mailman simply skips our block. At first I thought it was an oversight. Then it occurred to me that perhaps here in Central Illinois we may be pacesetters for the rest of the nation.; we’ve started five day delivery before the rest of you folks!

Friday, January 30, 2009

I’ve just been reading about Kate Field, an American journalist of themed to late 1800s. Back then, few women wrote for newspapers. For awhile she had to disguise her sex. I used to think that I should have been born in the late 1800s, I love the art, the music and of course heating with wood. But now I am not so sure.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Last night I enjoyed seeing the Russian Ballet perform
Sleeping Beauty. I had seen Nutcracker many times in the past and also Swan Lake, but was not too familiar with Sleeping Beauty.
I am a logistics person. As I sat watching, I wondered: Just how did all that scenery and those props pass airport security and get on a plane in Russia and get to Central Illinois.

Does anyone know how big performing companies, such as the Philharmonic transport all their performers and instruments?

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Where were you when Obama was inaugurated? You are likely to rehash this moment many times.

I spent the day in the most perfect place. I was at Washington Elementary School. Although, it had been a top notch magnet school when my kids went there, 1981 to1988, today, it is almost exclusively low income students from the African-American and Hispanic populations. The entire school of approximately 450 students plus staff crowded into the lunchroom and watched the entire event on a mega-TV. A macho fifth grade boy said “I feel like I might cry.” I assured him that it was okay to cry, that they were tears of joy.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday is about celebrating freedom. So, I put on my cross country skis and enjoyed my freedom by playing in the park. The 14 degree air was crisp, and the cloudless sky made the sunshine feel extraordinary on my face. My house has been transformed into a ski chalet with wet socks and mittens drying under the wood burning stove and herbal tea steeping.

Monday, January 19, 2009

These are exciting times. I think that this will be my 15th Inauguration Day since I’ve been on the planet. You can calculate my age, if you choose; Harry Truman was President when I was born! Obama is the first President younger than me.

Though I take an interest in politics, amazingly, I only remember one of the Inauguration Days. In 1980, Carter was leaving, Reagan was coming into office. Hostages were being released in Iran. And where was I? I was in a modest Florida motel in Disney World spending the day in front of the TV with a sick child, watching the same news clips over and over again,while the rest of the family enjoyed Disney World..

I was just reading about an 88 year old woman in Texas who has attended ALL the inaugurations since 1952 and even remembers the weather on each of the days. How cool is that!

On September 11, a few years ago, I was on a plane headed to Chicago from the New York area, where I had just seen my extended family for a happy celebration. We left the New York airport and a few minutes later the plane was filled with smoke and we made an emergency landing. My entire life flashed in front of me in those minutes as I pondered my escape. I'm not superstitious about September 11 and New York, but it definitely was a very terrifying experience.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Hey, I've converted. I've passed the test! Tuesday February 17, 2009. I think that’s the date my little 9-inch TV would go blank if my new converter box wasn't properly installed. But, thanks to the tech skills of a good friend, I am ready to go through the change.

Who came up with the idea of changing how TV is broadcast? And how did they come up with this date?

Do you think Digital Day could become a national holiday sometime in the future? How would people celebrate it?

Monday, January 12, 2009

Writing Alone by Pat Schneider is a book one of my friends gave me as a holiday gift. It is good sometimes to take a breather from the writing and hear what other, much more accomplished writers have to share. I really felt inspired after reading this book.

Has anyone else enjoyed this Writing Alone or other books for writers?

Sunday, January 11, 2009

This past week, just because of a time crunch, I took a retreat from writing. I had been on a roll, spending the first three to four hours of every day for the past 2 ½ weeks, writing. Gosh, how I missed that my daily ritual!.What routines do you have that sustain you?

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Yesterday, I was in a World History class. I was asked “what was your first image of history”. I was at a loss. I thought for a bit and the best answer I could come up with was this: “When I was born, Harry Truman was the US President and the American flag had only 48 stars; I can’t remember that far back.”

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

I just finished reading Elizabeth Berg’s Art of True Writing. She is one of my favorite authors. Open House was the first of her books that I read. Since then, I may have read all of her other novels, but this quick read may be her only non-fiction book.

Exactly a year ago, she was at our local library on a book tour. It was so exciting for me to actually speak with her about my writing projects. She seemed genuinely interested and gave me many great suggestions.

Monday, January 5, 2009

I just watched a fascinating show about animal migrations. So here’s what’s puzzling me. If butterflies, geese and other animals know when it’s time to move along, why is it that your average house guest needs a few hints when the party’s over?

Sunday, January 4, 2009

The folks next door to me aren’t very considerate. They “borrowed” some of my firewood without asking. They’ve parked in front of my driveway so I couldn’t get out. I wonder why they didn’t park in front of their own driveway! Last fall they had an unattended open bonfire in their yard atop unraked leaves. It wasn’t long before the fire trucks showed up. They have an array of unsavory looking visitors. And they don’t seem to sleep. At 11:00 pm, they practice playing their drums. At 2:00 am, I can hear them dumping large tubs of aluminum cans into a large recycling dumpster. Ironically, I had met them in a class that I teach, and told them about the house for sale. Next thing you know, they bought it.

But, I adore my other next door neighbors. I see the moving van in the driveway. I am feeling a sense of sadness and even abandonment. A wonderful young couple who has rented for nearly seven years, they finally earned their PhDs and found jobs in Nebraska. Congratulations to them. I’ll miss them shoveling my driveway and sidewalk, keeping their property litter-free, pumping up my bike tires and inviting me to their theme parties, especially the fish sticks extravaganza; I had never heard of Jello shots before! I like that they wake up early like I do (and not because of me, they insisted), and that the buzz of my chain saw was never a problem (I asked them about that several times). And, I will certainly miss years of free WiFi that I got by positioning my laptop computer by the window. When they told me they’d be moving, I finally had to splurge and get DSL.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Young Money Magazine has asked me to write a weekly column for their magazine. Young Money is a leading national magazine written for young adults with information about earning, managing, investing and spending money. I have already had several articles and blogs on the website. I hope my blog followers will take a look at http://www.youngmoney.com/Columnists/Debra%20Karplus

I may not have the expertise or fame of Suze Orman, but I will give it my best.